A Poem Analysis of Afternoons by Philip Larkin Essay

"Afternoons" is a melancholy poem, about the inevitability of change and the passing of youth. The poem, written by Philip Larkin, forces the reader to reflect upon the lifestyle of a young woman with a husband and family. Previously, I thought this would be a very fulfilling lifestyle however, Larkin has changed my opinion on this matter. Although Larkin's thoughts on this life are completely biased, Larkin does make a valid point, which is that these young women lead a quite monotonous lifestyle. Larkin puts across many themes throughout the whole poem. He effectively conveys the demands that children can have upon a parent's life, in particular, the mother. However, he also reflects upon the changes that occur in people's life as a result of having children. Philip Larkin has efficiently brought to our attention the lack of freedom which has been brought about by adopting a new role. This is his main theme throughout the poem. He discusses this loss of freedom in great detail through his skilled techniques as a writer, including his powerful use of imagery and word choice.In the opening verse, Larkin presents the idea of the dull, repetitive and empty life of a typical housewife when this poem was written between the nineteen fifties and the nineteen sixties. By setting such a scene so quickly, Larkin forced the reader to contemplate the truth of this opinion. Through word choice, Larkin presented this idea to the reader, when he says"In the hollows of afternoons" The word "hollows" meaning empty and creates the impression that the mothers' lives are empty also. Larkin believes that the life of a woman who marries and has a child will become empty, will lack fulfillment and will be unhappy. When Larkin wrote this I was shocked that he could have such a one sided opinion. Having a family does mean that you have to become less selfish. However, I do not believe that Larkin is correct...